Focus on Current Projects

San Diego youth as a whole, and specifically those who live in the urban core, are at increased risk for exposure to violence, crime, substance abuse and other unhealthy and life threatening behaviors. While San Diego is blessed with a wealth of natural, cultural, economic and educational resources many low-income, minority youth has oftentimes limited access to these resources. Teenagers growing up in Golden Hill and Sherman Heights (sections of San Diego) live within miles of some of the best universities in the nation, they are a stones throw from Balboa Park with more than twenty museums, art galleries and cultural centers, thirty minutes by highway are some of the nations fastest growing biotech, medical research facilities and hospitals. None of these resources are closed to minority youth, quite the opposite. Many youth-centered agencies are eager to introduce youth to new experiences and provide them with opportunities to share and learn. Universities, such as SDSU, are actively recruiting minority students and clearly value and understand the importance of diversity. Local healthcare institutions and industries are recruiting in minority communities, seeking employees for every rung of a host of career ladders.

So what’s the problem? To a large extent the issue is that of access, which in turn is related to a lack of connectivity and coordination. There are plenty of excellent youth development and enrichment programs in San Diego, including those operated by San Diego Youth & Community Services (SDYCS). These programs have no shortage of youth. Schools, law enforcement, social service agencies all refer youth to existing after school programs and youth centers, and youth also come to programs of their own accord – looking for something fun to do and a safe place to hang out. What is missing are strong ongoing connections between youth centers and institutes of higher education, and between the youth service industry and the healthcare industry, between programs that serve young people seeking something positive and meaningful and individuals and organizations that can guide them and open windows to current and future opportunities.

To fill that gap, The IPH, San Diego Youth & Community Services (SDYCS), Roosevelt Middle School, the YMCA Youth and Family Services, and Pacific Beach Middle School applied for and received a grant from the Office of Minority Health to implement a Youth Empowerment Program for children ages 11 through 13. The program will target at-risk minority youth to address unhealthy behaviors and provide them opportunities to learn more positive lifestyles and enhance their capacity to make healthier life and career choices. Annual cohorts of 30-40 youth will enter the program as 6th graders and will be eligible to remain in the program for up to three years.

Many project activities will be offered at the SDYCS Youth Education Town (YET) Center located in Golden Hill, but participants will also have ongoing access to activities at SDSU. The program will serve youth who reside in communities just east of Downtown San Diego (Golden Hill, Sherman Heights, North Park, Hillcrest, and Barrio Logan). Each youth will be matched with an undergraduate student from SDSU and will receive one-on-one mentoring that will include career exploration, tutoring, opportunities to engage in community service learning activities, and participating in enrichment activities on the SDSU campus. We look forward to our 1st year of operation!

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Posted: 11/28/06